Deandre Ayton is officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The team announced the news on Sunday.
Lost in the excitement of the announcement, the Lakers also announced what jersey number Ayton will be wearing. In the photo of the announcement on social media, Ayton is wearing No. 5 on his jersey.
The former No. 1 pick isn’t attached to one number. He wore No. 22 with the Phoenix Suns and then No. 2 with the Portland Trail Blazers. In college, he wore No. 13.
No. 5 hasn’t been a lucky number for the Lakers. The last player to wear it was Cam Reddish, who is no longer with the team. Before that, it was Malik Beasley and Talen Horton-Tucker, two players who were supposed to make an impact for the team but ended up being busts.
Los Angeles has to hope that Ayton can buck the trend of the players wearing No. 5 on the Lakers and not playing well.
Luka Doncic & Ayton Motivated to Play Together
Luka Doncic wanted an upgrade at center the moment he joined the Lakers, but the team wasn’t able to make it happen. Now they finally have one with Ayton. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the two have been wanting to play together for a while.
“Ayton and Luka Dončić have been pals since they were selected No. 1 overall and No. 3, respectively, in the 2018 NBA Draft,” Stein wrote.
“The prospect of the pair becoming teammates first materialized five years later when the [Dallas] Mavericks entered into advanced trade talks with Phoenix to acquire Ayton in conjunction with the 2023 NBA Draft. Yet those talks ultimately collapsed.”
Now that they are on the same team, they want to ensure that both player has success.
“Only now, two years on, will Ayton and Dončić officially become teammates later Sunday,” Stein added. “The Bahamian big man asked the [Portland] Trail Blazers to buy out the final season of his contract and he committed Wednesday to teaming up with the Slovenian star after clearing waivers.
“The players share an agent — WME Sports’ head of basketball Bill Duffy — and were motivated to team up given the Lakers’ well-chronicled need for a front-line center.”
Rob Pelinka Talks Ayton Signing
Had the Lakers been able to find a high-end center last season, they may have been in the NBA Finals. It was clear early in the playoffs that Jaxson Hayes wasn’t going to bring enough to keep the team in the Western Conference at bay.
President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka was honest about the center need heading into the offseason, and he thinks Ayton will be a significant upgrade for the Lakers.
“Acquiring a starting-caliber center was the top priority for us this offseason, and we believe Deandre is an amazing solution to that objective and is an ideal player to add to our current core,” said Pelinka, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“Deandre’s size, mobility and athleticism will allow both paint scoring and paint protection. Deandre’s playoff experience as a starter on an NBA Finals team also aligns well with our ultimate Lakers championship aspirations.”
